RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events "Radio Free Arabia"?

Wall St. Journal:

Donald Rumsfeld has always been known for speaking in blunt terms. This week, the Defense Secretary lived up to his reputation when he told the Army War College that the U.S. deserves a "D" or "D-plus" for its efforts in communicating in the "battle of ideas" that is part of the war on terrorism.

He added: "We have not found the formula as a country" to counter the message of the extremists in the Muslim world. "The strategy must do a great deal more to reduce the lure of the extremist ideology by standing with those moderate Muslims advocating peaceful change, freedom and tolerance."

"The enemy we face may be the most brutal in our history. They currently lack only the means -- not the desire -- to kill, murder millions of innocent people with weapons vastly more powerful than boarding passes and box cutters," Mr. Rumsfeld told the assembled military officers, referring to the terrorists who struck on 9/11.

Maybe it's time to dust off some of the folks who made Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty such a success in combating the ideology of Communism during the Cold War. They could form a "Team B" to reevaluate and suggest experiments in how to conduct U.S. public diplomacy.

This seems like a good idea to me. Battle in the marketplace of ideas.

Of course, someone will probably accuse the U.S. of "propaganda" if we actually did this.

I am like arabs. We should am help them.

Quick! Someone alert the Super Friends! If Bizarro is back in town, can his Legion of Doom pals be far behind?



Wondertwin powers, Activate! Form of, something useless!!!

Shape of, something stupid!

To work, it would need to be manned by respected moderate clerics, promoting a tolerant version of Islam, and should be fairly critical of its financial sponsor (the US government) and US allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia so as to unequivocally show the benefits of a free press. It can't consist of nothing but the party line - it would be rapidly and correctly perceived as a tool of the US.